October 20 is National Brandied Fruit Day

Posted on October 20, 2014

Brandy is distilled from fruits such as grape, apple, blackberry, apricot and so on.

Based on the region and the fruit, brandy can be divided into several categories: Cognac, Armagnac, American Brandies, and fruit brandies.

The word brandy originally comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, which means burnt wine.

Long before the 16th century, wine was a popular product for trading in European region. In the early 16th century, a Dutchman trader invented the way to ship more wine in the limited cargo space by removing water from the wine. Then he could add the water back to the concentrated wine at the destination port in Holland.

Most brandy is 80 proof (40% alcohol/volume) and has been enjoyed for centuries as a cocktail and cooking ingredient.